Hayden Godfrey - ��Ӱ��

Gen Z wave starts to build in hyper-local DC offices

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 13 Dec 2022 14:40:12 +0000

Politics is in Quentin Colón Roosevelt’s blood, literally. He isn’t just interested in public service; he’s the great-great-great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt, the iconic cartoonish statesman who served as the 26th President of the United States. No wonder he’s looking to study public policy in college and has already become involved in electoral politics in Washington, D.C.

At just 18 years old, Colón Roosevelt sits on the hyper-local Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D03, which covers the Spring Valley region just west of American University. Just like his ancestor — who remains the youngest person in history to assume the presidency at 42 — he made history in November as the youngest elected ANC commissioner in the District’s history.

“I want to be the change I want to see in the world,” Colón Roosevelt said. “I think we definitely need more young people involved right now. We have these octogenarians controlling everything; it’s unbelievable.”

While Colón Roosevelt slightly exaggerates the degree to which elected officials are older than the average person, his characterization of American political society is largely accurate. The average age of a United States senator is 65, while governors are only slightly younger, on average, at 62. In the United States House of Representatives, the average age of members is 58.

“They’re not going to be living for much longer,” Colón Roosevelt added of the country’s older elected officials. “Unfortunately, we are going to have to deal with the consequences of their actions and inactions.”

Colón Roosevelt, and some of his youthful contemporaries, are trying to change that narrative. In fact, Maxwell Frost — who is slated to become the first Gen Z member of Congress when he is sworn in on Jan. 3 — set up a 30-something-person group chat on Twitter called “Gen Z Wave” for up-and-coming young elected officials, including Colón Roosevelt.

“It’s a really nice group,” Colón Roosevelt said. “Everyone’s really nice to each other.”

Two municipal sources told ��Ӱ�� that the D.C. Board of Elections does not keep records of ANC commissioner ages; the Virginia House of Delegates likewise does not require candidates for office to submit their ages since the minimum age for serving in the legislature is 18, which is the voting age.

Quentin Colón Roosevelt, 18, is the youngest elected official in Washington, D.C. and serves on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission for the northwestern neighborhood of Spring Valley. (Photo Courtesy of Quentin Colón Roosevelt)

In fact, Colón Roosevelt was not even 18 years old when it came time to vote in the 2022 primary elections, but he was permitted to cast a ballot since he would be of voting age by the time the general election rolled around.

Recently, a member of Foggy Bottom’s ANC — a George Washington University student named Margaret McDonald — resigned in August citing academic commitments, according to the commission’s chair, Joel Causey. Since she is no longer elected, McDonald could not be contacted for comment.

In any event, youth is creeping into elected office, whether at the local or state level; alongside Colón Roosevelt, ANC 2E has , so too did ANC 3D, the region containing American University’s campus. — many of whom come from activist and grassroots backgrounds — have assumed elected offices.

This youth is being embraced by some older members of the District’s political community, including commissioners in Colón Roosevelt’s ward.

Elected officials in the United States tend to be older than the average American citizen, prompting younger activists and organizers to pursue careers in elected office. (Photo: Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

“Young people have an energy and an altruism and an idealism that is vital and needed and hasn’t been jaded yet,” said Peter Lynch, 37, a Ward 3 commissioner who teaches English at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md.

Added 76-year-old commissioner Randy Speck of Chevy Chase DC, whose wife taught Lynch when he was kindergarten: “We have a lot of young families, and I just think it would be useful to have that perspective on the commission.”

Connie Flanagan, a professor emerita at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who studies youth political participation and civic engagement, said political networks — like the one with Roosevelt and Frost — are key to helping young people get involved and successfully run campaigns.

“It has to be through networks that they make connections that teach them how to do it and support them in doing it,” Flanagan said. “Whether you win or lose, you’re learning how the system works.”

, youth voter turnout has been steadily increasing in recent years, with voters aged 18 to 29 generally breaking more for Democrats (55%) than Republicans (38%) in generic polling. Gen Z, which spans birth years from the late-90s to 2010, is expected to become a crucial voting bloc in upcoming elections.

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Antisemitism in DC remains a concern, activists say

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 16:29:29 +0000

In the wake of inflammatory antisemitic comments from hip-hop superstar Ye (formerly Kanye West) and , antisemitism has been thrust back into the public conversation in Washington, D.C.

The DMV — the region that includes D.C., Northern Virginia and portions of southern Maryland — is home to over 297,000 Jewish people, . Still, it has not been spared of antisemitic hate crimes; on Nov. 14, there was a particularly egregious incident in Montgomery County, Md., where the phrase “No Mercy for Jews” was spray painted on a fence alongside several crude depictions of people hanging from a noose.

Since 2012, there have been at least 117 hate crimes committed against Jewish people in the District, according to police data obtained and reviewed by ��Ӱ��. In that time frame, there have been 23 hate crimes committed against Muslims and two hate crimes against Catholics.

Of the 117 anti-Jewish hate crimes committed in the last decade, 109 — or 93% — have been committed in the city’s populous northwest quadrant, which is home to the Jewish bastions of Georgetown and Kalorama.

Despite being a neighborhood with a sizable Jewish population, Foggy Bottom has been unable to avoid the rising rates of antisemitism in the United States. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

Ashley Reichelmann, a professor of sociology at Virginia Tech who has written extensively about hate crimes and race relations in the United States, said incendiary and bigoted statements from figures in pop culture like Ye are so dangerous because they falsely confirm preconceived notions people may have.

“It’s more about them making a statement which might, in some way, jive with a belief that a person already has,” Reichelmann said. “And what it does is it promotes a culture of acceptance that this behavior is simply acceptable.”

Notably, the Metropolitan Police Department did not specify a targeted group for 51% of hate crimes tracked in their database, meaning crimes were reported to and investigated by MPD, but no specific ethnic or racial group was identified as the target. MPD did not provide a reason why so many targeted groups were left blank in their files, meaning the number of religion-related hate crimes could be significantly higher.

, the world’s largest Jewish campus organization, Jewish people often “fear being targeted or isolated by reporting bias incidents.”

Faith Williams, a federal lobbyist for the progressive National Council for Jewish Women, describes herself as an “inside-the-beltway creature” who has been in D.C. for over 15 years. She said while figures like Ye have a significant amount of informal rhetorical power, they don’t actually have much hard political influence.

A mezuzah — a traditional piece of Jewish scripture contained in a decorative case that hangs at the entrance to a home or office — hangs outside the GW Hillel building in Foggy Bottom. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

As a result, elected officials — those with the power to directly influence policy — need to be careful with their words and be thoughtful about the ideas they peddle, she said.

“The way our leaders act and the things they say really matter,” Williams said, “and that goes for every issue, but including antisemitism.”

Elsewhere in the advocacy space, the Anti-Defamation League is on high alert. Meredith Weisel, the organization’s D.C. regional director and longtime DMV resident, said she believes non-Jewish people have merged criticism of the Israeli government — which she sees as legitimate discourse — with outright antisemitism, increasing the preponderance of antisemitic rhetoric.

Instead of civil, political conversation, she says, Jewish students on university campuses are often targeted because of perceived loyalty to Israel.

“You want to have a real conversation about the Middle East and the Israel-Palestine conflict?” Weisel said. “More power to you; let’s talk about the government and all that kind of stuff. But Jewish students are being targeted because of something happening in Israel.”

In Foggy Bottom, there is a significant Jewish contingent, especially around the campus of George Washington University, . , and have surfaced in recent weeks.

GW’s Hillel chapter declined to comment on its ongoing initiatives and efforts to deal with antisemitism on campus.

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Foggy Bottom blaze sends six to hospital

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 21:51:29 +0000

On Tuesday morning, a multi-alarm fire on the second floor of a nine-story Foggy Bottom seniors’ residence left six people hospitalized and dozens more forced to leave their apartments.

Fire crews were dispatched to St. Mary’s Court at 24th and H Streets at 11:35 a.m., according to DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesperson Vito Maggiolo.

The entire building was evacuated, and crews could not immediately ascertain the cause of the fire, which originated in a rear apartment. An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, and several investigators were on hand in the lobby of the building conducting their investigation.

Last month, Jeffrey Winters moved to the building after residing in the District’s Dupont Circle neighborhood. While he was initially skeptical of the alarm that blared through his apartment, he quickly heeded the advice of fire crews and exited the building.

DC Fire responded to a second-floor fire at a seniors’ residence in Foggy Bottom Tuesday morning. Six people were taken to hospital. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

“I thought it was just a drill,” Winters, 64, said. “But, I looked out in the hall and it was filled with smoke.”

Glenden Ford was among the firefighters who carried senior citizens from the smoky building’s upper floors. He recounted a chaotic atmosphere as he arrived to help evacuate the building.

“They were definitely scared,” Ford said of the residents he assisted. “We had a lot of people in the stairwells, and it got real smoky.”

Six fire trucks were stationed outside the building for hours after the blaze erupted, along with two ambulances and several additional fire vehicles. Those who firefighters rescued from the building were triaged in the lobby of the adjacent Potomac Plaza Terraces, a 10-floor cooperative across the street.

Update 2 Alarm fire on 24th St NW. 6 residents transported to hospitals. Fire under control. Approximately 20 units & 100 personnel responded. A safety evaluation of building will be conducted to determine when & which residents can return. Investigators on scene.

— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems)

DC Fire did not disclose to which hospital victims were taken, nor did they provide the names or ages of those transported or triaged. At this point, it is unknown when or if the building’s other residents will be able to return to their homes.

St. Mary’s Court opened in 1979 and houses senior citizens with disabilities. According to DC Fire, 100 fire personnel from 20 units responded to the scene.

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At-large council race close and top of mind in southeast DC

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 21:50:18 +0000

In the competitive race to fill two of the four at-large seats on the D.C. Council, voters in southeast D.C. appear split between several leading candidates. The most prominent issues on the minds of voters on election day included oversight, public safety and corruption as major concerns.

Three sitting council members and five challengers are seeking to occupy the seats elected by the District’s entire voting population. Of the five fresh candidates, three are running as independents, one is running as a Republican and the other is running as a member of the progressive D.C. Statehood Green Party, the latter of which has the backing of former Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein.

Ann Hoffman volunteered to campaign for incumbent three-term council member Elissa Silverman and was jubilant as she courted voters outside a church in Anacostia, a historic district located east of the river of the same name. Dubbing Silverman the “Queen of Oversight,” Hoffman fawned over her friendly personality and work ethic, but cautioned the race could be closer than expected.

“She’s 100% for workers; I’m 100% for workers,” Hoffman, 80, said. “This is the toughest race she’s had,” she added.

In southeast D.C., the red and white signs of independent candidate for at-large council seat Kenyan McDuffie lined the streets. McDuffie received the endorsement of the Washington Post’s editorial board. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

For most of the early morning, it seemed McDuffie and Silverman voters dominated polling stations in Wards 7 and 8, heeding the call from the dozens of signs that lined the streets of southeastern neighborhoods. In addition to their names, signs bearing the insignias of Karim Marshall and Fred Hill were most common.

“I’m really excited to see what he has for us,” said Honesty Henry, 22, a volunteer for the McDuffie campaign stationed near the Southern Avenue Metro station in the Shipley Terrace neighborhood.

Elsewhere in the neighborhood, blue signs for incumbent Anita Bonds popped up periodically, with volunteers from her campaign team chatting amicably with voters in Ward 8.

McDuffie and fellow independent Graham McLaughlin in an October 26 piece. of former U.S. Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and D.C. Council Chair Phil Mendelson, among others.

Added Hoffman of Silverman: “Were it not for Elissa, we would not have paid family and medical leave,” referring to that Silverman orchestrated.

that of the four at-large members elected to the council, . In this election cycle, only one of the elected at-large candidates can be a Democrat, since one of the at-large seats is already held by a Democrat.

Polls close in D.C. at 8 p.m., and election results as postmarked ballots are collected.

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Local politician, national profile

Hayden Godfrey — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:30:15 +0000

Ever since being catapulted into the national spotlight as an impeachment manager during then-President Donald Trump’s second impeachment, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., has been at the forefront of national politics.

In 2021, he was appointed to the high-profile Jan. 6 Select Committee, growing his national profile further. He’s even been parodied .

In the past, politicians have lost their constituents as a byproduct of their rapid ascension to national relevance. In recent months, Wyoming Republicans punished Rep. Liz Cheney for her intense focus on impeaching Trump and beyond.

Raskin, on the other hand, has managed to stay in line with the will of his constituents, and much of that has to do with the uniquely engaged and national-focused nature of his district.

In the Washington, D.C., suburbs that make up Maryland’s 8th congressional district, the highly educated and informed population appears to be in favor of Raskin’s hard-nosed approach in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

His upcoming bid for a fourth term in Congress — which pits him against Republican aerospace engineer Gregory Coll for the second-straight election cycle — is expected to be an uncompetitive race, . Coll has run a campaign focused on neighborhood safety and security, military support and fiscal responsibility.

Peter Kovar, who served as chief of staff to the prominent Democratic congressman Barney Frank for 18 years, now sits on the Takoma Park, Md., City Council. He said Raskin’s national focus enhances his appeal. “I don’t see it as a conflict,” Kovar said, “I see it as part of good governance and good representation.”

While Raskin’s House district is rather economically homogenous — the median household income in the district exceeds $110,000 — it is racially and culturally diverse. Here, Raskin is seen with staff at Silver Spring’s Muslim Community Center Medical Clinic. (Photo: Office of Jamie Raskin)

This appears supported by that say Marylanders’ top issue is the economy, with threats to democracy as second.

Jeffrey Slavin, a lawyer and four-decade Democrat who is the mayor of affluent suburb of Somerset, Md., noted that despite rumbling speculation that Raskin will seek or , Raskin is likely to stay in the House of Representatives.

Slavin also said that voters in the district are chiefly concerned with the federal government and tend to care less about what goes on in the Maryland General Assembly or their respective city halls.

Because of that, Raskin’s focus on national issues like democracy, reproductive rights and political extremism play well since his constituents are largely employees of the federal government — or related to it through work — or are otherwise plugged into national issues.

“He has such a great ability to discuss these issues, these heavy constitutional issues and make everybody understand,” Slavin said.

Leonard Steinhorn, a professor of political communication at American University, where Raskin once taught constitutional law, said focusing on national and local issues are not mutually exclusive for members of Congress. Steinhorn pointed out that since Raskin lives less than 10 miles from his Capitol Hill office, he is especially well-positioned to balance both priorities.

Steinhorn also said politicians with national profiles like Joe Crowley — a senior House Democrat who lost his Queens, N.Y., House seat in 2019 because he neglected his district and focused too squarely on his own political profile — do occasionally fall from grace. Crowley lost the Democratic primary to the rising progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who triumphed in one of the cycle’s biggest upsets.

“There’s sort of a very mensch quality to Jamie Raskin,” Steinhorn said. “The trick is, some people lose touch with their communities. I don’t ever think that’s in Jamie Raskin’s DNA.”

According to Raskin’s district director, Kathleen Connor, their office handles thousands of constituent cases a year, a figure that dwarfs most other constituent offices and increased significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raskin, seen here posing with students at Silver Creek Middle School in Kensington, Md., has represented Maryland’s 8th congressional district since 2017. (Photo: Office of Jamie Raskin)

Connor credits their office’s productivity to their office staff, which includes six caseworkers and a handful of full-time interns in their Rockville, Md., office.

“So, even though everybody sees him on MSNBC and CNN,” Connor said, “he is still doing the same job for the constituents.”

For his part, Raskin insists that he has no motive outside of simply representing his constituents in Congress. He also stressed that he will continue to pursue his work on the Jan. 6 Committee to its necessary end, which he said could impact American life in the short, medium and long term.

“My constituents are very upset about assaults on democratic institutions and the right to vote,” Raskin said. “And, again, I cannot imagine them being any more supportive of the work that I’ve been doing.”

Ultimately, the voters in Raskin’s district — and the composition of the House of Representatives, which may force him out of his prominent oversight position — will determine his political future. For now, he appears to be taking an incremental approach to growing his own profile while still staying close to home; this summer, and routinely campaigns for Democratic candidates across the country as he is asked.

“We almost lost everything,” Raskin said. “And I tell my constituents, we’re in the fight of our lives, and the outcome is not predetermined, we need to fight for constitutional democracy and freedom in America.”

Note: Jamie Raskin is a professor of law emeritus at American University’s College of Law.

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West End Watch brings safety and security to Foggy Bottom

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:45:04 +0000

When a petty thief slinks into Foggy Bottom to steal a BMW that its owner carelessly left running, the neighborhood has 40-some cameras and 45 businesses watching their every move. The area’s homey security network is so effective, in fact, that other neighborhoods want to design something similar to clamp down on crime in their regions.

West End Watch, a massive email chain designed to alert the area’s stakeholders of suspicious activity, was conceived and put into place by Jeri Epstein, the neighborhood’s ANC commissioner, shortly before the onset of the pandemic, with the help of the Ritz-Carlton DC.

Epstein, a teacher-turned-consultant-turned-retiree, has lived in Foggy Bottom since 2001 and spontaneously filled her friend’s seat on the local board in 2019. Since then, she’s made neighborhood safety one of her top priorities.

She said that unlike Nextdoor or other online neighborhood forums, West End Watch is a system that requires all members to prove their security credentials to the group.

“This is not going to be like a Facebook page, where everybody gets to visit,” Epstein said. “It’s an invitation-only situation.”

Most crimes committed in Foggy Bottom are so-called “crimes of opportunity,” such as spur-of-the-moment car thefts that are not targeted to a specific individual or group. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

Security managers of businesses in the neighborhood opt in to the group and agree to share collected surveillance footage. From there, the 45 or so member parties share videos and pictures of suspected wrongdoers. If an incident like a theft or assault occurs, others in the immediate vicinity are notified with a BOLO (“be on the lookout”) alert, helping them provide police (or each other) with more accurate information on how to find and report assailants.

Epstein said crime has plummeted since West End Watch was established, and that the Brookland and Anacostia neighborhoods have approached her to develop something similar in their respective corners of the city. The Ritz-Carlton did not respond to multiple requests for comment on their involvement in the creation of the network.

John George, president of the community group the Foggy Bottom Association, said most crimes in the neighborhood are so-called “crimes of opportunity” — like serendipitous car thefts and various other types of petty theft — that aren’t targeted to anyone or any group in particular. While dependable nationwide data on criminal intention is difficult to ascertain, crimes of opportunity have been the subject of bulletins by police departments from to , in recent years.

A Wisconite who has lived in Foggy Bottom for 26 years, George, 62, has been at the helm of the FBA since 2020 and sees awareness as the group’s biggest challenge to stopping crime.

“I think a lot of it boils down to awareness and education,” George said.

, ANC2A — which encompasses both Foggy Bottom and West End — has recorded 172 crimes over the past six months, most of them thefts. Overall, it remains one of the District’s safer neighborhoods, per recent lists by , and .

The Ritz-Carlton D.C. on 22nd Street was a founding member of West End Watch, pairing up with the ANC commissioner to develop a massive email chain to deter criminal activity. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

The nearby George Washington University is also partnered with the ANC on this project, and the initiative has helped “solve” several local cases that troubled the community, Epstein said.

Joel Causey, a D.C. construction executive and the chairman of Ward 2’s ANC, praised the system’s efficacy and impact, noting that the neighborhood was not all that ridden with crime to begin with.

“Foggy Bottom is like an oasis, an anomaly,” Causey said. “I think part of that has to do with that we’re not overwhelmed given the fact that we do have people who are so vigilant here.”

Overall, Epstein hopes that West End Watch will contribute to a safer and more secure Foggy Bottom for all of its residents and business owners. Ultimately, she wants to remain omnipresent in the community, but not pervasive or controlling.

“So, I always say, I’m allowed to watch, but I do not contribute,” Epstein said.

D.C. residents in all wards will , the same day voters nationwide will cast their votes for members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.

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Hamilton rocks Kennedy Center, brings buzz to Foggy Bottom

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 16:35:11 +0000

The smash-hit musical Hamilton finished up an 80-show run at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts last week after stunning D.C. crowds and delighting businesses in Foggy Bottom.

A unique musical with an unconventional premise and 11 Tony Awards to its name, Hamilton tells the story of the titular founding father and his role in the American Revolution. Unlike its Broadway contemporaries, the show does away with show tunes and bombastic ballads in favor of rap- and hip-hop-inspired numbers laden with accessible slang and colloquialisms.

A few blocks from the Kennedy Center, Hotel Hive on F Street is among the local businesses reaping the benefits of a world-class production playing just down the street. The hybrid hotel and bar hosted a party for the show’s cast in September, and its swanky bar room was regularly full before and after performances.

Chris Quick, the lead chef at &pizza, the restaurant kitchen in the lobby of the hotel, said all shows at the nearby theater bring a rush of hungry patrons. Still, Hamilton has been especially chaotic for the kitchen’s small but determined staff.

“Being walking distance from the Kennedy Center, it’s constant, constant traffic,” Quick said. “Especially with Hamilton, that show is awesome!”

All along New Hampshire Avenue and 23rd Street, local spots were full to the brim before and after shows. Whether it be the homey Tazza Café or the elegant Kingbird restaurant in the lobby of the Watergate Hotel, Foggy Bottom’s streets were teeming with people.

The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 as a memorial to the assassinated 35th President of the United States, and has since hosted some of the most iconic shows in theater. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

While the show’s spectacular run excited the neighborhood’s local slate of restaurants and businesses, it was perhaps equally thrilling for those intimately involved in its production.

Sam Merrick, the Vermont-bred, New York-based drummer who has played over 1200 shows in five years with the production’s pit orchestra, said the venue’s history and “vibe” are undeniable. Merrick said the show’s story—which recasts American history in an inclusive and accessible way—is unlike anything that has ever hit the stage.

“We have a story here that’s so, so compelling,” Merrick, 37, said. “It’s something everybody in this country can attach themselves to.”

In the audience, theatergoers from far and wide sat in awe as the most awarded musical of the last half-decade graced the stage at one of the District’s finest venues.

Evan Skjel, a computer engineer from Toronto, was seeing Hamilton for the first time. After leaving the theater’s Hall of Nations, he was straightforward in his review of the production.

“The choreography was incredible, and the story was very good,” Skjel, 28, said. “It was just a great show. The production value was incredible.”

John Sweeney, a 52-year-old Marylander, attended the show’s final Sunday matinee with his mother, Patricia, who is 90. While he’d already seen the show in New York, Sweeney was quick to praise Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and said the show is unique in its ability to transcend genre, thus introducing new audiences to hip-hop and rap.

Hamilton’s gold and black posters were seen all around D.C. while Hamilton played at the District’s performing arts center. This poster, seen here inside the theater’s Hall of States, shows George Washington striking a powerful pose atop the musical’s signature black star. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

“[Miranda] started out to write a show to teach history through rap, but what he ended up doing was teaching white adults about rap,” Sweeney said.

When asked to choose her favorite song from the show, the elder Sweeney was, like many who hummed the show’s tunes on their way out of the theater, unable to narrow it down to just one.

“All of them!” she answered with a wide smile.

In the coming weeks, Hamilton’s witty narratives and hooky backbeats will head to Orlando, Fla., Rochester, N.Y., San Diego, and Detroit. The Kennedy Center declined to provide specific attendance figures, but a visual check of available seats in the show’s last two weeks showed few available tickets.

According to a Kennedy Center spokesperson, 13 million people saw the show before the COVID-19 pandemic shut it down in the winter of 2020, and it has played in 82 different North American cities.

With the hysteria of Hamilton behind it, the Kennedy Center is slated to host , and before 2022 comes to a close.

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Student suicide at GW shines spotlight on mental health

Hayden Godfrey — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 15:20:10 +0000

A recent student suicide in an upperclass residence hall at George Washington University is putting a renewed focus on mental health support. On campus, members of the community are reeling from the tragic incident and looking for ways to prevent this from happening again.

The Office of the Medical Examiner confirmed to ��Ӱ�� that the 21-year-old student, whose name will not be published out of respect for the family, at Guthridge Hall, an F Street dorm that houses roughly 250 students.

In a statement released to the university’s faculty and students, university President Mark Wrighton and Vice Provost for Dean of Students Colette Coleman said, “the loss of one of our own will be felt by many across the GW community.” A spokesperson for the university would not comment further beyond that which was expressed in the statement.

While the community hasn’t dealt with , the start of the school year brings untold anxiety and pressure, especially for an ambitious and academically strong student body. As a result, there are those who are looking for improvements to the system.

Alexander Erickson, a member of GW’s 47-member Student Association Senate, said faculty members should be more proactive in reaching out to students who are falling through the cracks.

“I would say this is a take-notice moment for the faculty, honestly,” Erickson, 26, said.

Sherry Molock, an associate professor of clinical psychology at GW, said that while the university has done better to address mental health care in recent years, there remains a lot that can be done to better their systems; the university should implement universal mental health screenings to catch student vulnerabilities earlier, she said.

“One of the things that institutions can do really well, ironically, is track challenged students because it’s a closed system,” Molock, a 25-year faculty member, said. “Often we forget the most vulnerable students are not gonna have the most adaptive coping skills,” she added.

Even if mental health professionals increase screenings and check-ins, mental health care is further complicated by its institutional distance from other types of health care.

GW’s Guthridge Hall was the site of a tragic student suicide on September 13 that is placing a renewed spotlight on mental health support for college-aged students. (Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

Jodi Frey, a mental health scholar and a professor of social work at the University of Maryland, said that young people contemplating suicide are often aware of the resources available to them, but are unable to access them because of administrative or bureaucratic barriers. Frey describes the American mental health system as “broken” and contends that it is not equipped to handle ongoing, chronic conditions like depression and schizophrenia.

“It’s so disconnected from all of our care systems that it’s so easily neglected and underfunded and stigmatized,” Frey said.

, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. Washington, D.C. in the country, but has still reported 108 suicides among people aged 15 to 24 since 1999, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, the chief medical officer for the non-profit suicide prevention organization The Jed Foundation (JED), said universities should prioritize hiring counselors representative of their student population. She also notes that suicide prevention is a group ordeal that requires the investment of all stakeholders.

“When it comes to suicide prevention, we all play a part in the community,” Erickson-Schroth said in an email to ��Ӱ��. “It is our responsibility to be there for each other and for ourselves.”

��Ӱ�� reached out to six universities in the D.C. area to ascertain the frequency of suicides on their campuses, but did not receive a comment from any of them in time for publication.

GW’s Student Center is the university’s central hub for student services and houses the school’s Colonial Health Center.
(Hayden Godfrey / ��Ӱ��)

Above all, the recent tragedy at GW is poised to impact the community for weeks and months to come, said Frey. Institutional hierarchies are fragile and responsive to the trauma of their peers, especially after a pandemic that left care systems tired and dilapidated.

“Going through something like this changes people and changes organizations,” Frey said. “It changes college campuses. We don’t just revert back to how we were.”

Erickson said GW students look out for and care for each other, which makes their community more welcoming to students from all over the country. It may take some time to recover from the shock of losing one of their own, but the school’s closeness is poised to help them through this tough time.

“I think we’re all mostly committed to just making the lives easier for everybody around us,” Erickson said.

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